Dogs have a different way of communicating than humans. They also have a different way of doing, well, a lot of things. If you’ve noticed your furry family member marking their territory with a splattering of urine here and there, you might be wondering what exactly they’re doing! Consider this your guide for understanding just what this all means and how to handle it as far as pet communications 101.

Do all dogs mark their territory by urinating?

While not all pet parents may notice it, most dogs are thought to mark their territory through urination. Some are very subtle and discreet in how they do it, whereas others aren’t going to pay any attention to how it looks (since it doesn’t matter to them at all). If you pay attention to how your pet acts, you’ll most likely notice that they do mark their territory with urination from time to time.

Not all dogs will mark their territory every single time they go outside. Some only do it in one place, whereas other dogs will do it absolutely everywhere that they can. In the latter scenario, many find it funny since we would tend to think that dogs would simply run out of urine to keep marking. Yet, many dogs will manage a few drops to finish the job.

Why do dogs urinate to mark their territory?

What exactly is going on when it comes to your dog’s tendency to pee on, like, everything possible outside (and even inside, in some cases)? It turns out that there are a few things happening with this. Take a look:

• They are marking what belongs to them: The most obvious reason for your dog to be urinating in specific areas is that they are letting other animals (both domestic and wild) know that this particular area belongs to them, your dog. This is why dogs mark territory boundaries. What is within those boundaries and points belongs to your dogs, and other animals will think twice about “trespassing.”
• They are letting other dogs know that they’re around: They want to ensure that other neighborhood dogs know that they have some competition as far as neighborhood boundaries. Urinating in specific locations that are bound to “advertise this” to other dogs will help them get the “word” out to their neighbours. Dogs are naturally very territorial animals, after all.
• They’re saying “hi” to each other: Dogs communicate a lot through their mind-bogglingly keen sense of smell. Urinating allows them to send a message to other animals. Each often will smell the spots first and “read” what the other dogs have communicated by leaving their marks. Then your dog will “respond” by peeing on top of those, leaving their message for the next dogs. It’s like a crude form of a chat room.
• They’re communicating their reproductive abilities: Dogs will mark to let other dogs nearby know their mating status, too. This is very common in unspayed females, for example, which will let male dogs know that they’re ready for mating. This will attract male dogs so that the female can get pregnant. When she is in heat, this is normal and common behavior. It often can include marking around the house, too, if you have other male dogs in your household.
• They’re showing their ranking to others: Dogs have a hierarchy, with the most important dog being alpha. Dogs are constantly juggling this ladder and aiming to climb higher. They will want to communicate their social status by peeing and letting other dogs know. This is part of the communication that we talked about earlier, too.

As far as your dog’s health and overall way of living, territory marking is really important. Both male and female dogs are going to mark their territory for the reasons that we discussed above here. Some dogs will do it more than others, and many will do it more when they are stressed or feeling threatened for whatever reason.

Should I worry about my dog urinating to mark their territory?

No, you should definitely not worry about your dog urinating to mark their territory. This is one of their basic biological behaviors; it’s both normal and natural. While it’s certainly not something that we humans do, it’s very common and healthy in the world of dogs.

If your dog is marking their territory in the house, however, it’s totally understandable that you’re going to want to change this behavior. We’ve talked about that below to help you manage a potentially stinky situation!

Can I stop my dog from marking their territory with pee?

All things considered, your dog marking their territory with pee is a biological behavior that can’t be stopped outright. It’s a natural instinct from many generations of evolution. It would be a waste of energy to try to retrain this behavior since it’s not a conditioned one. Even with the right approach to retraining this behavior, it would only go so far. The instinct would still win out.

You can spay or neuter your pet, and that will help you. It’s going to help reduce the hormonal instincts to mark their territory, but it isn’t going to stop it entirely. It will simply curb excessive marking and help you to keep the activity outside your home.

Urine marking is normal

While it’s understandable that your dog marking their territory with urine is not exactly your favorite thing, it is considered to be normal and healthy. It’s part of your dog’s communication patterns, and repressing the natural instinct is not only very difficult but also potentially harmful to your dog’s emotional health.

While urinary marking is not anyone’s favorite topic, it is very helpful to understand just what your dog is doing and why it matters. The more that you know, the better you can appreciate this routine for your dog’s overall health. Perhaps now the behavior won’t be quite as repulsive since it’s pretty impressive to think that a few drops of urine can mean so much! Perhaps, but not quite, right?